A Day Without You
by EmiliaElliot18
Summary: Bella asks Edward to spend a day away from each other, no cell phones, no facebook, no questions asked. But why? One-shot. TISSUE WARNING. Read and Review!


**So I read something on Tumblr that gave me this idea so I had to write it. I hope you all enjoy it.**

**Tissue warning. **

EPOV

I knocked on the door of the Swan household at 9am on the dot, just like Bella had asked. I wasn't really sure why she wanted me there so early, but I would do anything for her.

Bella was the love of my life.

We may only be 18, but we knew we were in love for good.

The door to Bella's house opened slowly, revealing a tired looking Charlie. It wasn't an uncommon sight. Charlie was the police chief of Forks and when they needed extra people in Port Angeles or Seattle, they would call in the Forks police office. He worked late nights at least once a week.

"Hey, Chief," I said with a smile as I walked in. "Long night last night?"

Charlie smiled back weakly. "You could say that," He said, his voice thick with some emotion I couldn't quite place. The poor man looked exhausted.

I patted his back. "Get some sleep." I glanced behind him, eager to see my Bella. "Where is Bella?"

Charlie stretched his arms up in the air and yawned. "She's up in her room. Go on up."

I smiled in thanks and bounded up the stairs, anxious to see Bella. Although I had seen her yesterday and talked to her on the phone last night, I craved her presence all the time.

I peeked into her room and saw her sitting on her bed, looking through an old photo album. I knocked gently on her door, not wanting to scare her. She turned her head to look at me and smiled, her brown eyes lighting up.

She was just as beautiful as the day we met.

She moved here when we were in 7th grade, just kids. We knew nothing about anything but from the moment I saw her, I liked her. She was the quiet new girl that had just moved from Arizona. She had pale skin, long brown hair that she normally wore in a ponytail, and was in all the advanced classes with me. We became friends quickly, which turned into being best friends. We spent all of our free time together so, eventually, she became a part of my family and I became a part of her small family.

By 9th grade though, things had changed.

She went back to Arizona the summer before our freshman year of high school. When she left, she was the awkward gangly girl that was my best friend. When she came back, she was still my best friend, but she was no longer that awkward gangly girl I knew. She had always been beautiful to me, but now, others seemed to notice the soft curves of her body and the way her pale skin glowed. People noticed the how deep her brown eyes were and how her smile lit up the room.

I didn't like how the guys would stare at her. She was my best friend and I didn't want any of them to take her from me. She was mine.

Our relationship changed a lot during the beginning of the school year. Bella was longer under the radar. Guys were chasing her left and right and, while she avoided them, she seemed to be avoiding me too. She didn't hang out with me nearly as much. When she came over to my house, she hung out with Alice, my sister, more than she hung out with me. She was shy around me and I couldn't figure out why.

I knew my feelings for Bella had changed the instant I saw her step off the plane. I wanted her to be more than a friend to me. I wanted to be able to call her my girlfriend. After a few weeks, I realized she must have known about my crush on her and didn't feel the same way.

I was going to let it go until I saw Jacob flirting with her at one of my parent's annual Christmas parties. I got pissed off and dragged Bella away from a confused Jacob.

Once we were in my room, I let go of her arm.

"What was that about, Edward?" She asked, her eyes narrowed at me.

"I think it's a little impolite to be flirting with someone at a Christmas party," I said, coming up with the first and lamest excuse that came to mind.

She rolled her eyes at me and shoved me away, acting the most like Bella she had in a long time. "We weren't flirting, but either way, I don't see why you have the right to tell me who I can and cannot flirt with and when I do it," She said.

"I want to be able to," I said back, lowering my eyes.

She cocked an eyebrow at me, her face going from angry to confused. "What are you talking about?" She yelled.

I grabbed her hand and pulled her to me. "I like you Bella," I said quickly.

She wrapped her hand around mine and pulled them down so our intertwined hands hung between us. "We're best friends, Edward," She said with a sad tone to her voice. "Of course you like me."

I smiled at her. "As more than friends, Bella. I want you to be my girlfriend," I said, my voice sure and strong even though I was a nervous wreck on the inside.

She blushed but smiled a tentative smile at me. "You do?" She asked.

I nodded. Her smile grew more confident and she jumped at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I wrapped my arms around her waist. "Thank God." She sighed.

"I take it that you like me too?" I asked as I pulled away from her.

She smiled at me and nodded. I leaned down then and, gently placed my lips on hers. It was the perfect first kiss for both of us.

We'd been together ever since. Sure, we have had our fights. With a girl as stubborn as Bella and a guy as opinionated as me, they were bound to happen, but we got through them.

She smiled at me now as she sat on her bed, her brown hair pulled up into a messy bun. "Hey, baby," She said gently. She walked over to me and gave me a gentle hug, her hands twining around my neck. I leaned down and kissed her gently.

"Hey babe. How are you today?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I'm okay. Just a little tired," She said. I smiled as she yawned as if she was trying to prove her point.

She grabbed my hand and walked us over to her bed. She closed the photo album and, when she looked back at my face, I was surprised by the serious set of her face.

"If I asked you to do me a favor, no matter how weird it seemed, would you do it for me?" She asked. She bit her lip as she looked at me, waiting for my response.

I nodded quickly. "I would do anything you asked of me, baby. You know that," I said softly.

She smiled. "Then I need you to do something for me, but please don't ask me why I'm making you do this. Okay?"

I was wary, but I nodded.

"I want to see if we can last a whole day without each other," Bella said softly, her eyes trained on my face. "No contact at all. That includes phone calls, texting, emailing, facebooking, everything."

"Why?" I asked.

She smiled wryly. "You promised."

I sighed, trying to read her. "I wish I could see what was going on in that beautiful head of yours," I said softly as I reached out to tuck a strand of lose hair behind her ear. "But fine. I won't ask any questions. When do you want this to start?"

She sighed. "Today," She said. "So get home. Spend some time with your family." She smiled.

I sighed. "Fine," I began. I wrapped my arms around her. "How am I going to spend a whole day without you?"

She pulled away and looked at me with a smile. "Keep yourself busy. You'll be fine."

She stood us up and pulled me down the stairs to the door.

I turned around as I opened the door. "I love you, Bella," I said, leaning down to kiss her.

"I love you too, Edward." She leaned up and kissed me back with a big smile.

"I'll talk to you at midnight," I said with a wink.

She smiled. "Midnight."

The day passed slowly. I spent the majority of it with my family. Truth be told, I had been neglecting them a lot lately. The school year had just ended and Bella, Alice, and I had just graduated a few weeks ago. I was packing to go off to college. I spent as much time as I could with Bella. She wasn't going to college with me in Dartmouth. She wanted to stay closer to home, closer to her father. It had always been my dream to go to Dartmouth though, and Bella knew that. She told me that our relationship wouldn't change and that she'd come visit me as often as she could.

It wouldn't be easy, but I hoped after the first year, I'd be able to get her to transfer here.

I hung out with my brother, Emmett, and Jasper for a majority of the day. It was actually kind of nice to have a day with the guys, just relaxing, playing video games, and eating junk food. I kicked Emmett's ass most of the time and whenever I did, he'd challenge me to a rematch. He'd lose again and insist on playing till he beat me. Eventually, I just let him win and then left the room to get some air.

Emmett's room smelled pretty bad.

Alice and I watched a movie-she insisted on a sad movie because she "was PMSing and out of Midol"-and by the end, she was crying her eyes out. The movie was _A Walk to Remember_, and I had to admit, it had me choked up a few times as well.

By the time we had finished the movie, my mom declared that it was dinner time. We had a huge meal. My mom was probably the best cook around Forks and every time she made a meal, she went all out.

My dad was working all day, doing his usual Saturday shift. He worked from 11am till 3am with only a few breaks here and there. He overworked himself but my dad lived on helping people.

By 10:30pm, I realized how much I wanted to call Bella, just to hear her voice. I knew the minute it struck midnight, I'd text her to see if she was still awake, but I still had an hour and a half till then. I didn't know what I would do till then to keep myself busy. Alice and Jasper had gone over to Jasper's house and Emmett went out with his girlfriend, Rosalie for the night. It was just my mom and I for the rest of the night, and my mom normally went to bed early.

Tonight was different though. I was laying on my bed around 11:30, listening to music and letting time pass by. I was begging it to go faster.

Esme knocked on my door, a smile on her face. "Want to run to the hospital with me really quick? Your father needs some dinner and you know how I hate to drive alone at night."

I glanced at my clock. 11:45.

"Sure," I said, jumping off my bed. By the time we were leaving the hospital, I'd be able to call Bella, just like I had promised.

The car ride over to the hospital was quiet. Esme was concentrating on the road. She was terrified of running over a little animal or killing a deer. I was lost in my own thoughts about Dartmouth, my family, and Bella.

The hospital was a familiar place for me. My father had worked there my whole life, so it was a familiar place to me, almost like a sanctuary. I smiled at the old nurse, Debbie, behind the information counter and she smiled back.

"Hello Edward, Esme!" She said with a smile. "So sweet of you to bring Carlisle his dinner."

Esme smiled. "I brought you some cookies too," she told the kind old woman.

Debbie smiled widely. "Oh thank you dear. Have a wonderful night!"

We kept walking down the hallway towards my dad's office where I knew he'd be sitting, hand resting on his forehead as he looked over someone's charts.

Today, however, he looked horrible. His eyes were bloodshot, as though he hadn't rested all day. His hair was as tousled as mine was which was strange for my dad. His hair was normally as pristine as his clothing, which were wrinkled today.

He stood up and kissed Esme on the cheek. "Hello, sweetheart." He looked at me and smiled a weary smile. "Can you give us a few minutes, Edward?" He asked softly.

I raised my eyebrows. "Uh…sure. I'll uh, just go into the hall."

My dad nodded in silent thanks and my mom looked at him, just as confused as I was.

A quick glance at my watch made me forget everything else though. It was 12:00 on the dot. I walked down the hall a ways, not wanting my parents to think I was listening in on their conversation and so I could have some privacy on my own.

I dialed Bella's number and waited.

_And the songbirds keep singing, like they know the score. And I love you, I love you, I love you like never before._

I froze at the sound of Bella's ringtone coming from behind me.

I snapped my phone shut and slowly turned around.

My Bella, my sweet beautiful Bella, was lying in a hospital bed, her face pale with dark bags under her eyes. She was looking at me, horror written all over her face as she watched me take in the many different tubes connected to her. Her dad sat near her head, his hand gripping her tightly.

"Bella…what…" I trailed off, not knowing what to say as I walked slowly into her room.

Her eyes began to water. "I didn't want you to see me like this," She said as the tears ran down her face.

I ran to her side, my hands involuntarily going to her face to wipe away her tears. I looked at Charlie and was surprised to see him crying as well.

"What's going on? Why are you in the hospital? You looked fine this morning," I said as I tried to make sense of everything.

"Make-up is a wonderful thing," she said bitterly. "I've been using it for over a month now, and I learned from the best."

"Bella, please. What's going on?" I demanded.

"Edward." My father's voice sounded from behind me. "Come on, we have to talk."

I shook my head, desperately holding onto Bella's hand. I didn't want to leave her.

"Edward, I need to explain what's going on and she needs her rest." Carlisle's voice was stern and serious. I knew then that, despite how much I wanted to stay with Bella, that I needed to listen to my father.

I let him drag me out into the hallway and I stood with my back against the wall. Bracing myself.

"Edward, I need you to stay calm." My father's voice was soothing, but it wasn't the voice I wanted. I looked behind him, and stared at my Bella, whose eyes were focused on me. Carlisle looked behind him and then back at me. "Walk with me," he said softly, but there was a note of command to his voice.

I nodded.

We walked slowly and quietly down the hallway, neither of us saying anything until we were a few doors down from Bella's room.

"Edward." He sighed, stopping. I looked at his face and saw the face of a man who was tired, physically and emotionally.

"What's wrong with her, Dad?" I asked, my voice breaking.

My father grasped my shoulder and looked at me straight on. "Bella has Leukemia."

I shook my head while a feeling of dread and terror ran through veins. I fell back against the wall and slid down it slowly.

"Her cancer is actually a type of Leukemia called Aleukemia. It's one of the least common forms of Leukemia, so we didn't see it. The blood tests couldn't find it because there was no proof in her blood. We just thought it was anemia," he explained. He kneeled down in front of me. "She's not going to make I t, son. We did everything we could but we just caught it."

Tears blinded my vision and I gripped my hair, pulling it roughly.

No. This couldn't be happening.

No. No, no, no.

I knew Bella had anemia. She had been tested for it at the beginning of the spring. Over 3 months ago. But she was fine. She had gone to her normal doctor, a man my dad had worked with for years. He was a good man, I knew. But in this moment, I hated him.

He didn't catch it.

"Edward, if anything could be done for her, you know it would have been done, no matter the cost," he said and I was surprised to hear the lump in his throat.

Suddenly, I heard a sound down the hallway. One of the machines was beeping loudly, begging for a doctor's attention.

_Please_, I prayed, _don't let that be from Bella's room._

Charlie ran out seconds later. "Carlisle!"

My body sprang into action before my mind even had a chance to realize what I was doing. I stood up and ran into Bella's hospital room, pushing past Charlie. I grabbed her hand and stared at her face.

Her eyes were closed and her face was contorted in pain. Tears were running down her face.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked. "Why didn't you let me spend your last day with you?" I was crying as I held onto her, my heart pounding in my chest as I watched her face.

Her eyes opened up slowly and I was surprised when a smile graced her lips.

"You did it, baby," she rasped out. "You did it."

"Did what?" I asked, my voice cracking.

She reached out her feeble hand and brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes. "You made it through a whole day without me. Now please do it every day."

I grasped her hand tightly and leaned down, kissing her knuckles as well as allowing my tears to fall onto her hand. "Please don't leave me, Bella. Please, baby. I need you."

"I love you, Edward. Please never forget that." Her voice was stronger just for a moment, and the conviction in her voice left me breathless.

But there was also a tone of surrender in her voice that I hated.

"No, Bella. Please stay," I begged, laying my head on her stomach. I felt her hand come up and rest in my messy hair. She gently ran her hands through it once before I heard her take a shuttering breath. My head whipped up quickly, desperate to see her brown eyes.

One last time.

_I love you._ She mouthed, and her brown eyes showed me what I needed to see.

That she loved me and that she would never really leave me.

"I love you too, Bella. More than you will ever know." I was crying, tears flowing freely down my face, but I couldn't find it in me to care.

Her dad came in and held her other hand. She squeezed both of our hands gently.

"Please," she whispered softly. "Say with each other…help…each other through this…stay…a family." Her voice was breathless but passionate. "Promise me."

Charlie and I looked at each other and nodded.

"Remember, Edward. You made it through one day. You can…make it through the rest."

I nodded at her, knowing that it would be a struggle but if Bella wanted me to try, I would try.

"I love you." She whispered once more at her father.

"I love you too, Bells. Always will." The chief's voice was scratchy and gruff-more so than usual.

She looked back at me and while I held her hand, I watched the life fade from my Bella's eyes.

_**Three Days Later**_

My sister clung to my arm, sobbing, as we watched Bella's casket lower slowly into the ground. It wasn't easy to keep my composure, but I made it through the funeral service without breaking down. It was harder actually watching her disappear into the ground. I'd never get to see her face again. I'd never be able to hold her in my arms again.

As I stood there, thinking those thoughts, I started to lose my composure. I leaned on Alice and she wrapped her arms around my waist, giving me as much comfort as she could.

I looked up, allowing everyone to see the devastation on my face when I saw it.

When I saw her.

She was standing off in the distance behind everyone else, staring at the scene in front of her. Her hair was down, flowing freely down her back all the way to her waste. The white dress she was wearing was blowing gently in the wind.

She was looking directly at me, her brown eyes staring into my green ones. We just stared at each other for a long moment before she smiled at me.

Then, I heard her speak. It was just a mere breeze, a ruffle in the wind, but she was speaking to me. She reminded me of some of the last words she said.

_You did it, baby. You made it through a whole day without me. Now please do it every day._

I nodded at her softly, barely moving my head, but she saw it. Her smile got even wider and her eyes glowed brighter.

"I love you, Bella." I whispered as I stared at my angel, mesmerized.

Alice clung to me tighter.

_I love you too._ She whispered back.

Then she turned around and walked into the distance before she disappeared all together. I stared at the spot she had disappeared at for a long time, refusing to move even after her casket was safely underground. My sister stood dutifully by my side, allowing me my time to grieve.

Alice walked in front of me, smiling a watery smile at me. She reached up and adjusted my tie.

"She'll never really be gone," She said as she tightened my black tie. "She'll always be with you. Right here." She patted the left side of my chest. "Always."

_Always._ I heard Bella's voice whisper to me. I felt a soft wind brush my hair back, and I knew Alice was right.

She'd always be here, in my heart.

And with that knowledge, we walked back to the car with slow sure steps.

Life without Bella would be hard, but, for Bella, I would try.

**Please review! I would love to hear what you guys think! **

**Thanks for reading! **


End file.
